


Ghosts of the Machine

by bonesofether



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Fall of Overwatch, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Team Talon (Overwatch), tankfortalon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-08-07 06:20:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16402934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonesofether/pseuds/bonesofether
Summary: Arriving in a group of the best and brightest, Blackwatch's newest recruit seems to be a relatively nondescript, but much needed, asset as a tank pilot. It's only when everything falls that things are revealed and clarified. Loyalties, however, prove to be stronger than any conditioning.





	1. Recruited Future

Four men and three women. They were all new recruits. Those with the most potential and promise.

From their vantage point in the observation room, Jack and Gabriel watched as the recruits filed into the large debriefing room below them. It was one of the main ones used by Overwatch, so it was tastefully decorated and well kept. It had also been built with specifically providing the convenience of a one-way viewing window being installed in the observation room. Jack and Gabriel could see the new recruits, but the recruits couldn’t see them.

Not unless they were offering x-ray vision implants as part of the perks package for enlisting.

“Just think, Jack,” Gabriel said with a smirk. “Soon all of those scrubs will be _your_ responsibility. All the nagging. All the incessant questions. All the-”

“Not all of them, Gabe,” Jack interrupted, wearing his own smirk to match Gabriel’s. “Did you already forget? Your little ragtag band of merry soldiers is getting a new addition, too.”

“Blackwatch is fine with who it has,” Gabriel replied sternly, crossing his arms. “I already told our superior that we don’t need some newbie screwing things up.”

“Oh yeah? And how’d that go? I hope our superior didn’t die of laughter.”

Gabriel wasn’t sure which got on his nerves more; Jack’s reply or the fact that Jack was right. He scoffed and gave the recruits a scrutinizing look. The last recruit they’d moved to Blackwatch had only lasted about a month. After that they’d admitted they couldn’t handle the job and were returned to Overwatch.

“Come on, Gabe. It can’t be as bad as you’re thinking.”

“Remember what happened with the last guy, Jack? Thought the kid was going to have a total breakdown during that last week and a half.”

“Nobody said that black ops were easy. There’s bound to be a couple dropouts.”

“Yeah, but I’d rather they just admit they can’t make the cut and back out,” Gabriel sighed. “Not push themselves to the point of near mental breakdown for the sake of upholding appearances. There’s a reason Blackwatch only lets them go on the easy missions at the beginning. Got to make sure they can handle the stress.”

“And that they don’t learn all your dark secrets immediately,” Jack added. Even though he was still smirking a little, there was also some truth to the blond commander’s words.

Opting not to comment on the statement, Gabriel turned his attention back to the recruits. They were being debriefed by one of the superior officers, Dr. Ziegler, and an underpaid intern. Gabriel did have to concede that the recruits _looked_ promising. But didn’t they always?

“I think I see your scrub,” Jack said, pulling Gabriel out of their thoughts. The blond was looking over an electronic dossier, tapping through the list of names and faces associated with them.

“Oh, yeah? Which one?”

“Third on the left. Reddish blonde hair cut short. The one with the headgear.”

It only took a minute for Gabriel to spot the recruit that Jack was referring to. He leaned forward, studying the young woman a little closer. She had a lean build and appeared to be paying attention to the debriefing. She did have a rather curious bit of headgear on. Her biography had mentioned it, but it was definitely different seeing in actuality.

“You don’t know what your own newbie looks like?” Jack laughed. He held up the electronic dossier. “Did you even look at this thing, Gabe?”

“Her hair was darker in the picture,” Gabriel retorted. “And longer.”

“What? Did you think she was wearing a wig?”

“Shut up,” Gabriel muttered with a chuckle. He tilted his head to the side and sighed. “Well, she looks like she might make it. And if her bio was correct, she’ll definitely be a useful asset…”

“I’m hearing an unspoken ‘but’.”

“I’m just not going to be holding my breath, that’s all. I thought the same things about the last guy.”

 

* * *

 

Despite the lengths that had been gone to so as to ensure the debriefing room was comfortable, Eloisa had found herself fidgeting in her seat. It had taken a considerable amount of restraint to not click the complimentary pen that she had been given. She knew that the instructional videos were necessary, as was the obligatory introductions, but she wanted to get out and actually see the facility.

And Eloisa couldn’t lie to herself. She wanted to meet the ones that were to be her teammates. She was well aware that Blackwatch was black ops and that there were those that would frown on what she would be doing. But that could be said for just about any job.

Besides, she would just be following in her father’s footsteps. It was practically expected of her.

Finally, though, the meeting ended.

Dr. Ziegler advised that they would all need to report to her weekly for a routine check up, and after that, they were dismissed. The first new person that Eloisa spotted was the unmistakable Commander Morrison. He cut as striking a figure in person as he did on the promotional posters. Almost immediately the rest of the recruits flocked to him, eager to introduce themselves.

Though she knew she would have to meet Commander Morrison herself in the very near future, Eloisa hesitated. She glanced around quickly, looking around for the man that she would be reporting to. She had heard all sorts of interesting rumors about Commander Reyes, but Eloisa had dismissed the majority of them. She had been around enough soldiers to know when they were just telling stories to get a rise out of the others.

Almost as soon as the thought had crossed her mind, Eloisa sensed someone approaching her on the right. She pivoted quickly...and found herself looking up at none other than the soldier she had been looking for. Commander Reyes.

“Commander Reyes, sir,” she stated smartly, straightening her posture. “I was just looking for you.”

Now that he was closer to the young woman, Gabriel was able to give Eloisa a better once over. Despite the fact that she was a recruit, Reyes could tell that her father had raised her under ‘military lite’ standards. Colonel Fierstein was known to be a strict, but fair, man. It seemed that also applied to their family life.

Her hair had been recently cut, with both sides of her shaved to keep her headgear from being covered, though the top was a little longer and neatly combed back. Her grey eyes looked up at Gabriel expectantly, and he could see the slightest hint of...something else in them. Something that would occasionally catch the light and glint. Gabriel knew that Eloisa had undergone enhancement procedures before even getting to the facility, so it wasn’t really a surprise. Just noteworthy.

“Thought it might be easier if I avoided the throng of fans that Morrison’s got,” Gabriel explained with a smirk. He glanced over to his compatriot, not the least bit envious of all the questions and introductions he was having to go through. Turning his attention back to Eloisa, Gabriel motioned to a side door. “This way. Blackwatch members don’t get to go through the big fancy hallway that Overwatch recruits do.”

Eloisa made a short, dismissive noise and shrug. She hadn’t been expecting, nor did she really want, a lot of pomp and circumstance for her arrival. It was distracting and made her feel uneasy. Falling in step alongside Commander Reyes, Eloisa cast one last glance at the recruits she had arrived with before exiting the debriefing room.

“So… Commander Fierstein’s daughter, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Eloisa replied quickly. She glanced around the small, dimly lit hallway that Commander Reyes was leading her down. It had the occasional photo of some decorated veteran that Eloisa felt she should know, but didn’t. Other than that, the walls were rather barren. “He was practically beside himself when he found out I had been accepted here.”

“Not surprising. Glad to hear it, though,” Gabriel chuckled. Every now and then, he would glance over at Eloisa. She was keeping perfect step and pace with him, as well as watching him for any cues she should be paying attention for.

Oh, yeah… She was definitely a military brat.

Then again, maybe that would work in her favor. Maybe a ‘military lite’ upbringing would be what would help keep Eloisa in Blackwatch. And, most importantly, a _valuable_ component of Blackwatch.

As they entered an elevator that would take them to the Blackwatch personnel dormitories, Gabriel turned to face Eloisa. The dossier said that she was a tank operator. Not just any tank operator, but an Omnic spider tank. It had something to do with the headgear that she wore. If Gabriel recalled correctly, something about transmitting orders to the tank in order to pilot it. The tank itself had been rendered a husk, or ‘corpse’, as it was more affectionately known. That alone had been enough to put her in the ranks of Blackwatch, since Overwatch wasn’t about to sully their pristine appearance with such a morbid detail.

“So, tank pilot, huh?” Gabriel asked, leaning back against the elevator wall.

“Yes, sir,” Eloisa replied with a nod. She tapped at one of the transmitters on the side of her head. “It’s thanks to these. Creates a link between me and the tank. Of course, I still have to man the controls, but the control link makes things...a lot easier.”

“That so, huh?”

The dark-haired commander leaned forward a little to take a slightly closer look at the headgear that was the topic of their discussion. They were relatively slim and fit perfectly around Eloisa’s ears. The top ends were angled upwards, giving the young woman the appearance of almost having pointed ears. They were a gunmetal grey, and despite their delicate appearance, Gabriel had no doubt that they had to be incredibly durable. He could see a few indicators along the back edges of the transmitters, their lights flickering briefly.

“Those things stay put through the combat simulations?” Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, sir. They were custom designed to fit around my ears and along my head. There’s also the magnetic holders and small stabilizer rods that were implanted, as well.”

The idea of having magnets or stabilizer rods implanted in his head didn’t sit well with Gabriel. Then again, after all the procedures he had gone through, with some not exactly being sanctioned, perhaps he didn’t have room to judge. And the procedures themselves had been done by some of the best neurosurgeons available, so it wasn’t like they were haphazardly done, either.

“Ever had any trouble with them?”

“No, sir,” Eloisa answered with a quick shake of her head. “They’ve worked like a charm since I first got them.”

Before the conversation could continue, there was the cheerful ding of the elevator to let them know that they had arrived at their destination. The doors slid open effortlessly, revealing another dimly lit hallway. Eloisa was beginning to wonder if Blackwatch forgot to pay the entirety of the electric bill.

“It’s kind of dark-” Eloisa started, glancing around. With a knowing smirk, Gabriel stepped into the hallway and the lights immediately brightened. “-isn’t it…”

“Saves power. That and there’s not enough people coming through these halls to justify keeping them lit all the time,” Gabriel explained. As they neared the doorway to the common quarters, the Blackwatch commander looked back to his newest recruit. “I figure it would be best to get you introduced. After that, I’ll show you to your dormitory room and you can get settled. Pretty sure your luggage has been delivered by now.”

“Sounds good. Thank you, sir.”

“One more thing,” Gabriel said, holding up an index finger and stopping right before the double doors. He gave Eloisa a pointed look. “If McCree tries to challenge you to a quickdraw...anything, tell him ‘no’. Understood?”

“Tell him ‘no’?” Eloisa repeated, frowning in puzzlement.

“Exactly. You tell him ‘no’ and that if he asks again, Commander Reyes will confiscate that hat of his.”

Blinking up at her commander, Eloisa tried to make sense of what she was being told to do. She had been made aware of most of the more prominent members of Blackwatch, but by name only. Any details had been scant and hardly of remark. She knew that McCree was a sharpshooter, but what “hat” was Commander Reyes threatening to “confiscate”? And why would McCree be challenging Eloisa to anything, anyways?

“Trust me, you’ll figure it out soon enough,” Gabriel said with a nod, noting Eloisa’s confused expression. He tapped in a code and the doors slid open with a low hiss.

The main commons room looked like most that Eloisa had seen on military bases, only with a bit more expensive equipment and decor. There were posters of varying types and images, a large table in the middle with two smaller ones off to either back corner of the room. Strewn across the larger table were playing cards, a couple of tablets, and even one or two paperback books. Farther back Eloisa could see another room that appeared to be more for mission debriefing and overview, but she couldn’t make out many more details than that.

Her attention, though, was immediately diverted to the young man seated at one side of the main table. He was leaned back in a chair, the front legs barely brushing against the floor. He was wearing what looked like standard issue common clothes...and a very well worn cowboy hat.

So _this_ was the infamous Jesse McCree.

“Hey, boss,” Jesse said, lifting his gaze up from the book he had been reading. He first looked at Gabriel, then to Eloisa. “So this is the newbie, huh?”

“Yes, she is,” Gabriel replied. He then gave Jesse a pointed look. “And I’ve already told her to watch out for your antics, so don’t get any ideas.”

“I’ve no idea what you’re talkin’ about,” Jesse replied quickly, though the faint hint of a grin said otherwise.

“He said he’d confiscate your hat,” Eloisa commented, still a little confused.

That definitely got Jesse’s attention, and he looked over at Gabriel in mock alarm. He raised an eyebrow and tipped his hat back a little, as though trying to put it further away from his commander’s reach.

“Damn. Gettin’ kind of grumpy in your old age, ain’t ya’?”

“Keep it up, McCree, and you’ll be running laps until you’re too tired to run that mouth of yours,” Gabriel retorted with a smirk. He looked around briefly before turning his attention back to Jesse. “Where’s Shimada?”

“He was around here somewhere. Said he wanted to get something for the new recruit.”

“For me?” Eloisa asked, looking to Gabriel for clarification.

Her answer did not come from her commanding officer, though. The sound of metallic footfalls caught Eloisa’s attention and she turned to the source of the noise just in time to see the shadows of a connecting hallway shift. They slipped away to reveal a definitely humanoid figure, but that was about the most human thing of them. Who, or what, she was looking at was more metal than flesh, and Eloisa had to quickly remind herself that it was rude to stare.

“Was wondering where you’d managed to run off to,” Gabriel commented. He looked back to Eloisa before motioning to the cyborg. “This is Genji Shimada.”

“Oh! You’re the ninja?” Eloisa asked, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

The young man regarded her with a curious look, but appeared to grin after a moment.

“That is my official title, yes. Among other things.” Genji took a couple of steps towards Eloisa, looking her over quickly. “And you are our new tank pilot, yes?”

“That’s what I’ve been told,” Eloisa replied, feeling a bit like she was on display. But she knew it was both necessary and temporary.

“It is an honor to work with you, then,” the young cyborg stated with a courteous nod. “We have been in need of someone with your skills for quite some time.”

“Well, I intend to impress, so hopefully you won’t be disappointed!”

Again, despite most of his face being concealed, Eloisa could see a definite smile on Genji’s features. The cyborg looked to Commander Reyes and motioned to the hallway behind him.

“O’Deorain said that she was currently occupied with some of her research, but that she would introduce herself to our newest member later.”

“Probably best you don’t meet her,” Jesse grumbled from his seat at the table.

“Save it, McCree,” Gabriel interjected.

Though the young gunslinger muttered something under his breath, he fell quiet just as quickly. Eloisa looked at him in confused concern for a moment before turning the look to Commander Reyes. The dark-haired man frowned at Jesse for second longer before looking to Eloisa. He shook his head slightly and dismissively, as though trying to reassure the young woman that there was nothing to get worried about.

But something about the way both Genji and Jesse had reacted to the scientist’s name didn’t sit well with Eloisa. Not to mention she had heard about the scientist on Blackwatch and, more importantly, _why_ they were on Blackwatch. Their experiments were cutting edge, but also weren’t always ethical. If anything, the scientist known as Moira O’Deorain seemed to be the antithesis of Dr. Angela Ziegler.

Nonetheless, they were now one of Eloisa’s teammates. And she certainly couldn’t say that she had been expecting to be working with a bunch of saints. So what if it was the scientist among them that happened to push the envelope more often than any of them?

“Well, seeing as how introductions are stalling, you want to see which room you’ll be staying in?” Gabriel offered in an attempt to change the subject.

Perking up, Eloisa nodded quickly. Not only would it be nice to see where she’d more or less be living, she was also curious to make sure all her luggage had arrived safely. That and after her thirteen hour flight to the headquarters, Eloisa was more than ready for both a shower and some sleep.

Following Commander Reyes down one of the hallways, Eloisa glanced over her shoulder to the main commons room. Waiting until they were far enough that she was fairly certain that neither Genji nor Jesse could hear her, Eloisa looked back to her commanding officer. She bit at her bottom lip lightly in thought, then decided to go ahead and speak up.

“Commander Reyes?” she asked, inwardly wincing at how tiny her voice sounded.

“Hm?”

“Should I, uh, give O’Deorain some space? I mean, if she’s busy, I don’t-”

“It’s not that,” Gabriel interrupted with a sigh, slowing his pace. “She… Well, I’ll be the first to admit that she’s brilliant, but can be more than a little unnerving at times. She’s more of the type that you’re better off to let her come to you rather than you go to her.”

Eloisa opened her mouth to reply, but realized what Gabriel had said and snapped her mouth shut. A frown of both confusion and mild concern settled on her features as the young woman tried to figure out if she _wanted_ to meet someone like that. Her thoughts were interrupted when Gabriel chuckled and patted her on the back.

“Don’t look so worried about it,” he assured, stopping in front of a door that had the number “57” on the placard. “She’s creepy, but trustworthy.”

“Sounds like a real charmer,” Eloisa muttered. She turned her attention to the door as Gabriel tapped in a code to unlock it.

With a mechanical hiss, the door slid open and the room lit up. It looked like a high tech version of a college dormitory. There was a small table with two chairs, a television mounted up in the upper right corner of the main room, a bed nested in the wall on the furthest wall, and a small door that led to what Eloisa could only assume was a bathroom. Already resting on the bed was her luggage, complete with a complimentary welcome note.

“It’s not much, but it’s home now,” Gabriel announced with a smirk, leaning against the doorway and letting Eloisa step inside.

“And what time is breakfast delivered?” Eloisa asked, looking around the various nooks and crannies.

“As soon as you can get your ass out of bed and get to the cafeteria,” Gabriel chuckled. He watched as Eloisa wandered around the dormitory, silently trying to rank her against the other new recruits he’d dealt with recently.

From the looks of it and from what he knew about her, Eloisa was somewhere in the upper-middle rank. She was a bit lean for someone who was supposed to be piloting a decommissioned Omnic spider tank, and the headgear just seemed like a head injury waiting to happen. On the other hand, her family was military and she had a bit of military experience herself. Another plus was that she didn’t seem to be as gung-ho, trigger-happy as a few of the other, more rambunctious, recruits had been.

“Well, unless you’ve got any other questions, I’ll leave you to unpacking and getting settled,” Gabriel said, motioning to the luggage on and by Eloisa’s bed. “There’s a comm panel over here by the door, and if you need anything, you should be able to find someone that has the answer. Or can at least point you towards the person that actually does.”

Smirking and nodding, Eloisa walked over to her luggage. There were a few new scuff marks, but nothing major. So long as the contents had made it, that was all that mattered.

“Understood. Thank you, sir.”

After Commander Reyes had taken his leave, Eloisa sighed and opened the first suitcase. It practically exploded open as soon as the latches were unlocked. Reflexively shielding her face, Eloisa shut her eyes as she was pelted with various items of her wardrobe. The worst was probably one of the few pretty looking blouses that she had. One of its large buttons managed to lightly smack her square on the nose.

Grumbling and unceremoniously shoveling the clothes out of the suitcase and onto the bed, Eloisa sifted around the contents. She was looking for something in particular that she had purposefully hidden amongst the volatile collection of clothing. And after a few more minutes of searching, she found it.

It was a Bunny Pachimari keychain. A very well worn Bunny Pachimari keychain. The ears had lost most of the fluff that had once covered them, and the fuzzy tail had been reduced to half a tail. Nonetheless, Eloisa had held onto the item. She collected them, in some sense of the word. When one finally became so worn that it was practically unidentifiable, Eloisa immediately replaced it.

She didn’t have a replacement for the current Bunny Pachimari one, but Eloisa had argued that she was bound to come across a suitable replacement. That was the other detail, too. It couldn’t be just any old keychain. It had to be one that ‘fit’. And while there weren’t any requirements other than not being overly gaudy or overly flashy, Eloisa was still pretty picky about which keychain made the cut.

Hanging the keychain from a small hook above the head of her bed, Eloisa nodded in satisfaction. She then reluctantly turned her attention to the pile of clothes she had created in the midst of her search. Deciding that it might make a bad impression if she left the pile of clothes there, Eloisa began to put away the clothes. As the motions became more routine, her thoughts started to drift.

They were supposed to have her tank already set up and ready for testing. It was a new tank. Well, a new corpse, really. Eloisa could only hope that the last bits of Omnic programming had been removed. If not, then she’d have to do it herself. And while it was perfectly doable, it was also a headache. Sometimes literally.

Plus she didn’t want to concern her teammates with a statement that was something like, “Please wait a few seconds while I forcibly regain control of the tank I’m piloting”. Phrases like that didn’t tend to be very confidence inspiring.

Then there was the looming and inevitable meeting she would have with Dr. Swansea. They had already promised to catch up with her within two weeks of her arrival. Given that the rest of their coworkers had been absolute sticklers for punctuality, there was no reason to think that Dr. Swansea would be any different.

There was also the matter of actually meeting the team scientist and medic, Moira O’Deorain. Something about the way Jesse had mentioned the scientist bothered Eloisa. The way that Commander Reyes had described them had only made things sound more suspicious. It almost made it sound like Moira was going to be lurking around some dark corner, waiting to pounce on Eloisa as a way of introducing themselves.

Pushing aside the ridiculous thought, and having finished putting away the pile of clothes, Eloisa began to unpack the next suitcase. It was decidedly less volatile than its larger cousin, and she managed to put away its contents without much incident. This little dormitory, with its softly humming lights and uniform contents, was her new home now. She might as well get used to it.


	2. Three Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After three days of getting familiar with her new surroundings and compatriots, Eloisa's repurposed Omnic spider tank is delivered to the Overwatch headquarters. And, despite the need for a tank, Blackwatch commander Gabriel Reyes finds himself reminded of memories he would just as soon forget.

Three days.

That’s how long she managed to make it.

Now Eloisa was staring up at the ceiling and silently waiting for the cold, sweet embrace of death to take her. Every muscle in her body felt like it had been pulled to its extent and then some. And then, just for good measure, they had been lit on fire.

Slowly looking over at the clock, Eloisa stared at it for a moment before frowning. She only had thirty more minutes before she would have to get out of bed if she wanted any breakfast. Though now, Eloisa was seriously debating on whether or not the food would be worth it. She could make it until lunch, right?

The growl that rumbled from Eloisa’s stomach was answer enough.

Sighing and rolling off her bed with a groan, Eloisa staggered to her feet. It took her twice as long to get changed into her daytime clothes, and putting on her shoes felt like a feat of strength in and of itself. Finally, though, she was dressed, and Eloisa began to make her way to the cafeteria as casually as possible.

She barely made it in time, and there wasn’t much left to choose from, but she didn’t care. Food was food. Besides, she was more focused on her aching body than the quality of the food. Maybe by lunch time, Eloisa’s priorities would be back in order.

“Howdy.”

Eloisa knew who it was before she looked up. There was no mistaking the near trademark drawl in Jesse McCree’s voice.

“Morning, Jesse,” Eloisa mumbled through a mouthful of food.

“And how’s our newest member feeling this morning?” Jesse asked with a smirk as he sat down across from Eloisa. “I’ve heard that the third or fourth day is the worst.”

“I’ve had hangovers that have been more merciful,” Eloisa groaned, forcing herself to sit up straighter. She rubbed the side of her head, sighing heavily. “There are muscles hurting that I didn’t even know I had.”

“Heh, yep. That sounds about right,” Jesse chuckled, tilting his hat back. “Commander Reyes don’t take it easy on anyone. Though I think that he really pushes the new recruits.”

“Lucky me.”

“But hey! Look on the bright side. Ain’t today supposed to be the day you get to show off your sweet ride to us?”

“If I can even crawl into the damn thing after PT,” Eloisa laughed dryly. She turned the grin to Jesse. “Think Commander Reyes would give me a pass for today if I told him it was for the sake of the tank test drive demonstration?”

Jesse’s eyes widened and he shook his head.

“No. No, no, no,” he replied quickly. “I’ll give you a tip, darlin’. Don’t ever ask Reyes for a break. That’s a surefire way to make him push you twice as hard.”

The idea of having to do double anything of physical training was nothing short of horrifying, so Eloisa nodded her head in acknowledgment without hesitation.

“Got it. No asking for breaks. Keeping my mouth shut.”

“Trust me, you’ll be far better off for it.”

“Good to know,” Eloisa murmured, taking another bite of scrambled eggs. “So it’s supposed to be all of the currently active members of Blackwatch that are going to be attending the demonstration?”

“And some of Overwatch.”

“Them too?!” Eloisa squeaked in surprise. She had been expecting Blackwatch to be present, given that she was now one of their few tank pilots. But there hadn’t been a mention of Overwatch.

“Yeah. Somethin’ about wantin’ to see a rebuilt Omnic tank in action,” Jesse replied with a half-grin. He leaned back in his seat with a quiet sigh. “There’s gonna’ be Commander Morrison and a few other of the higher ups in attendance. So...no pressure.”

“Joy of eternal joys.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it too much,” the cowboy chuckled. “Reyes may be a hard ass when it comes to a lot of things, but he does well when it comes to watchin’ out for us. He’s ain’t about to let you embarrass yourself. Well, too much, at least.”

As much as she wanted to believe her compatriot, all Eloisa could currently think of was the memory of Commander Reyes standing over her and ordering her to manage ten more push-ups. He’d been completely unrelenting in his orders, but Eloisa had no reason to expect any less. She’d known what she was signing up for when she signed the stacks of paperwork.

Of course, knowing what to expect and actually doing said expectations were two very different things.

“Better hurry up there, darlin’,” Jesse said with a nod to the remaining food on Eloisa’s cafeteria tray. “Got about forty minutes to finish up, get changed, and get to the gym.”

With a heavy sigh, Eloisa shoveled a quick forkful of eggs and potatoes into her mouth before reluctantly taking the tray back to the kitchen. At least she’d have a proper appetite come lunch time. If she even made it to lunch time.

 

* * *

 

As fixated as he had been on the seemingly endless paperwork on his desk, Gabriel didn’t miss the sound of Eloisa’s approach. Her footfalls were heavy, and had a bit of an awkward gait to them. The dark-haired commander couldn’t help but smirk at the sound. He knew that sort of limp. It was the limp of a recruit who was just barely getting accustomed to the rigors of physical training.

There was a knock at the frame of the open door, and Eloisa peeked in. Looking up, Reyes motioned for her to come into his office. He finished signing the last few forms of the packet he’d been working through before pushing it aside. Looking up, Gabriel studied Eloisa for a moment, who was standing smartly in front of him. Despite the fact that it was obvious that she was exhausted, Eloisa was trying her best to appear as composed and refined as possible.

Gabriel decided to grant her a bit of mercy for her efforts.

“Go ahead and sit down,” he offered, motioning to the chair in front of his desk. “Probably more comfortable than standing.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Watching as Eloisa worked to stifle a wince when she sat down, Gabriel slowly twirled his pen between his fingers. There had been last minute additions to the tank demonstration audience, none of which he was particularly thrilled with. They were all overpaid higher ups. Some were with corporate, others were actually in the military branch, but they were all terribly out of touch with how things worked any more. None of them were actually people Gabriel wanted in the audience.

And he had to be the one to give the joyous news…

“So you get to show off your tank piloting skills this evening, huh?” he asked, gaze flicking over to Eloisa.

“Yes, sir. Looking forward to it.”

“Are you?” Gabriel was genuinely surprised to hear that.

“Yes, sir. I’ve been piloting that particular tank for a little over a year now. Hoping it makes it here in one piece.”

“It’d better,” the Blackwatch commander chuckled. He then turned to face Eloisa and sighed, tenting his fingers after setting aside his pen. “Because it’s going to be a full house as far as the audience goes.”

“Ah, yes, sir. I’ve been told that there’s going to be some of the Overwatch soldiers, including Commander Morrison, watching as well.”

“And then some.”

“Sir?” Eloisa asked, obviously confused.

“There’s been some last minute additions to the guest list. Not a whole lot. Some scientists and generals. All paid way more than you or I.”

Though she didn’t say anything, there was no missing the brief look of worry that flashed across Eloisa’s face. That and the fact that she blanched a few shades paler. Gabriel shrugged off-handedly and glanced over at the aforementioned ‘guest list’, eyeing the names that he recognized. He, himself, was still trying to figure out why there were so many scientists in attendance. Seven total, with five being part of the last minute additions. Normally, there’d be maybe three, possibly four at the maximum. But seven was something he’d only seen a few times before.

“Um, sir?”

Pulled out of his thoughts, Gabriel looked back to Eloisa.

“Hm?”

“Do you know why? Why there are the new, uh, additions?”

“Officially, no,” Gabriel replied. He paused, then gave the young woman a knowing, half-grin. “Unofficially, yeah. They want to see if Blackwatch has a better tank pilot than the ones skipping around with Overwatch.”

Muffling a snicker, Eloisa ducked her head quickly to hide her own grin. After a brief moment, she managed to compose herself. Sitting back up, she brushed back her hair quickly and nodded in acknowledgment.

“Understood, sir. No official reason given.”

“There you go,” Gabriel said with a wink He looked back down to load papers. “Tank should be delivered in the hour. You should probably go check on it to make sure it made it in one piece.”

 

* * *

 

Shuffling back and forth nervously, Eloisa watched with a scrutinizing eye as the massive, repurposed Omnic spider tank was lifted up and out of the transport ship. She had offered to drive it off the transport ship, but the crane operator had just looked at her like she was insane. So now the young woman found herself grimacing and occasionally leaning one way or the other when the tank got too close to hitting something in the hangar. Despite attempts to clean out the hangar in preparation, it was still very close quarters.

Whining as one of the legs of the tank got dangerously close to clipping a stack of storage containers, Eloisa leaned far to the opposite direction as if she could somehow manipulate the tank’s path by sheer will alone. She hadn’t yelled at anyone...yet. But given the way things were going, it wasn’t looking good. She hadn’t left her tank in pristine condition just for it to be delivered looking like it was fresh from a warzone.

“Phew… That’s sure a sight to see.”

Turning to look over at Jesse, Eloisa gave him a polite, albeit nervous, smile and immediately turned her attention back to her tank.

“I’d like the sight to remain disaster free, too,” she grumbled. The screech of metal against metal made her jump, and Eloisa’s gaze snapped up just in time to see one of the storage containers jerk as the tank’s leg scraped against it. She waved her arms frantically before pointing at the container and yelling at the crane operator. “You mind not wrecking the paint job!?”

“Easy there,” Jesse chuckled, noting the annoyed look that the crane operator gave Eloisa. “I’m sure that metal monster is made of stuff stout enough to survive a scratch from a storage trailer.”

“I know it is. I just don’t want to have any unnecessary scuffs or scrapes on it. If I have to show off to a bunch of big wigs and pencil pushers, then I want my tank to start out in perfect condition so it can finish in perfect condition.”

“Someone’s sure full of themselves,” Jesse commented, side-eyeing Eloisa with a smirk.

“That’s because I know what I’m doing,” she answered primly.

Finally, mercifully, the tank was lowered to the ground. It had been shut down in such a way that it looked like a spider, the eight-legged kind, with its legs tucked in tight to its body. The stance meant that the tank could be set on the ground without need for activation. Eloisa stepped around quickly, trying to visually inspect the underside of the tank for any signs of damage as it drew closer.

From behind her, Eloisa could hear Jesse laughing.

“Calm down. I’m sure it’s fine. It’s not like it has feelings or anything any more, anyways.”

“Yes, but _I_ do,” Eloisa retorted, glancing over her shoulder. “And I _feel_ like my baby is being mistreated.”

“‘Baby’? Good grief…”

Ignoring her compatriot for the time being, Eloisa turned her attention back to her tank. Fortunately, it appeared that the scrape on the one leg was the only damage that the machine had suffered on its trip over to the Overwatch facility. As soon as the security straps were removed, Eloisa clambered up on to the tank. Years of working on and maintenance for the metal behemoth had left her intimately familiar with every handgrip and foothold.

“My precious, metal baby,” she crooned, lightly patting the dark grey armor. “I promise I’m not going to let anybody else hurt you.”

“Now you’re makin’ me feel ill,” Jesse called with a laugh.

“Then look away, cowboy!”

Opening the cockpit of the tank, Eloisa leaned down to look around. The lights were, of course, still dimmed, but she could see well enough. The cockpit itself was pretty cramped quarters, given that the original design of the tank hadn’t had need for a cockpit...or pilot. Nonetheless, it served its purpose, functioned properly...and had been motivation for Eloisa to stick to her diet plan.

She was just about to give the all clear when she noticed that something was missing.

“Hey!” Eloisa cried, sitting bolt upright and zeroing in on the nearest hangar worker. “Where’d all the stuff I had in the cockpit go!?”

The worker just stared back at her with a blank expression, holding onto a datapad.

“Uh…”

“I had at least a box’s worth of stuff in there!”

“Uh…”

“Afraid you’re going to have to count them as a loss, rookie.”

Her commander’s voice momentarily muted Eloisa, and she looked back to where Jesse had been standing. He was now accompanied by Commander Reyes, who was eyeing the spider tank dubiously. As soon as he realized that Eloisa was giving him a pleading look, Gabriel shrugged lightly, returning her look with an apologetic one of his own.

“Not everything makes it over here,” he explained. “Especially if it’s being transported as freight.”

“Aw, man,” Eloisa huffed, slouching.

“Wasn’t anythin’ too valuable, was it?” Jesse asked.

“I...guess not,” Eloisa sighed, combing her fingers through her hair. “A couple of photos, but I can get those back. I’m mostly bummed about the keychains I had in here.”

“Keychains?” Gabriel repeated, beginning to walk around the tank.

“Yeah. Had started a little collection of sorts. Only had four, but I was making progress.”

“Were they one of a kind or something?”

“No. Just sentimental value because of when and where I got them. I’m sure I could get them online or something, it’s just…”

“Sentimental value, right,” Gabriel finished, stopping in front of the tank. He looked up at Eloisa, trying to ignore the cold, uncomfortable feeling that the tank was giving him. Even if it was a corpse. “Well, everything else in order with this...thing?”

“Aside from a scrape on the left, back leg, yeah.” Eloisa looked around, then spied the ‘In Training’ words still emblazoned on the right side of the tank. “Hey, Commander Reyes?”

“Yeah?”

“Think I could get something else painted on here? I’d like to think that I’m out of training now.”

“You’re _almost_ out of training,” Gabriel corrected, walking over to inspect the print that Eloisa was referring to. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached over and lightly scratched at the paint. It flecked off under his nail, as most cheap paints would. Scoffing lightly, Gabriel looked back up to Eloisa. “But, yeah. I think we can get something else printed on here. What’d you have in mind?”

“I don’t know. Blackwatch’s logo, maybe? Something other than ‘In Training’.”

“I’ll see what I can do, then. Now get down from there before you fall and break your neck.”

Sighing and rolling her eyes with a half-smirk, Eloisa expertly clambered off the tank. She slid down the last bit, landing right in front of Commander Reyes. Grinning up at him, Eloisa quickly combed a stray lock of hair out of her face.

“I’m not going to break my neck, sir,” she assured. “I’ve been climbing around on this thing for about a year now.”

“Yeah, that’s nice,” Gabriel retorted flatly, once again giving the tank a scrutinizing look. “And you’ve been piloting this thing for that long?”

“Ever since it was repurposed and I was assigned to it, yeah.” Eloisa peeked around Commander Reyes at Jesse. The young man hadn’t moved from his spot, instead choosing to keep his distance from the tank. “It isn’t even online, Jesse. It’s not going to bite.”

“I ain’t worried about it biting,” Jesse grumbled, taking a few reluctant steps forward. “I’m more worried about being stomped on.”

“That’s not going to happen, either,” Eloisa replied slowly. She then shrugged and added. “Unless you get in my way, of course.”

It took everything Eloisa had not to giggle at the looks both Commander Reyes and Jesse gave her. She motioned to the tank excitedly, already starting preactivation program runs via her headgear. In her ears, and her ears alone, Eloisa could hear the electronic whine of the tank’s controls fire up, and she looked at her commanding officer hopefully.

“Want me to make sure it still operates?”

Bristling briefly, Gabriel drew in a short breath and crossed his arms. Being this close to one of these things was somewhere around getting DIY dental work on his list of fun things to do. Nevermind an operational one. But one look at Eloisa’s excited and hopeful expression and Gabriel could only sigh and nod.

“Go on, then,” he agreed, motioning to the tank. “Just make sure you don’t wreck anything in here. Last thing I need is a lecture from the higher ups.”

Making an excited noise that she quickly muffled, Eloisa turned back to the tank. The control pads on the sides of her head flickered with lights as she gave the commands to power up with a few button presses. Though the control pads seemed relatively simple in design, the interface that they had with Eloisa’s own neural network was crippingly complex. Most of it went over her head, and she had been content to know only the vital parts.

With a metallic groan, the tank shuddered to life before the legs flexed and then situated. The tank slowly rose up, towering over most everything around it. Though it was currently bereft of weapons, it looked no less imposing. Another command made the top half, where a weapon could be mounted, pivot around slowly. The tank then took a few, small steps around, but not much more as Eloisa didn’t want to make Commander Reyes’s concerns worse.

Beaming up at the tank, Eloisa turned to her commanding officer and compatriot. Despite the uneasy look that Jesse was giving the tank, and the outright scowl that Gabriel was favoring it with, she couldn’t help but still feel excited. It had been almost a month since she’d been able to pilot her tank, and she was eager to get back to practicing.

“It seems to be operational, sir.”

“Oh, goody,” Gabriel grumbled disdainfully.

“You know, sir, it’s just a vehicle,” Eloisa ventured slowly. She knew that Commander Reyes had been pivotal in combating the Omnics that had gone rogue, but his distaste towards Eloisa’s tank seemed a bit much. “It’s...like a car.”

“Yeah. A car with heavy armor, heavier weaponry, and, worst of all, it used to have a mind of its own. A mind that decided it was done helping the ones that created it and instead wanted to annihilate them. Those things were an absolute nightmare to fight. Took a hell of a lot of ordinance to take them down, and even then it wasn’t a guarantee. They’d go scurrying into populated areas because they figured out we weren’t going to murder our own kind to get to them. Then we had to go in as strike teams only to get mauled by the damn things,” Gabriel stated steely, still glowering at the tank. He crossed his arms and snorted derisively. “Yep. Sure sounds like _just a car_ to me.”

The sound of Jesse cautiously clearing his throat pulled Gabriel out of his thoughts, and memories, and he looked back to Eloisa. Her enthusiasm had obviously faded, and she was looking away at one of the legs of the tank with a crestfallen expression. Sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, Gabriel shook his head and then waved towards the tank.

“Just...nevermind,” he grumbled. “Show me what you can do with this thi-er, tank.”

Though she appeared to perk up a little, Eloisa was still reluctant to actually do anything. She glanced over nervously at Jesse, who shrugged helplessly. Biting on her lower lip in worry, Eloisa turned back to the tank and sighed. She had heard more than one horror story about the devastation that the Omnic spider tanks had wreaked. The problem was is that it seemed like the hatred for the Omnic was now directed at _her_.

Worse yet, it seemed like Commander Reyes was going to be no different.

This was going to be...difficult.

Scoffing lightly, Eloisa decided to just go for broke. Commander Reyes would either appreciate or loathe her. Right now all she needed to focus on was doing her job and doing it right.

Tapping on one of the buttons on the left control pad on her head, Eloisa stepped to the side as the tank came back to life. She strode around it, letting the top half track her as she did so. Trying to ignore the pointed look that Commander Reyes was giving her, Eloisa stepped up when she reached the front of the tank again. At her command, the tank moved its leg underneath her and lifted her up off the ground.

It was a tricky balancing act, but Eloisa managed to stay put. She looked down at her commanding officer with a neutral, questioning expression, to which he just nodded for her to proceed. Turning, Eloisa darted towards the cockpit as the door, on command, opened with a quiet hiss. Sliding in effortlessly and grabbing the controls, Eloisa brought up the complete navigation screen along with all systems statuses.

As expected, the tank gave her the warning that it was currently without any weapons, but other than that, it was fully operational. Looking down at Commander Reyes, knowing that the weapon mount atop the tank was now aimed at the Blackwatch commander, Eloisa waved weakly at them. Given that the cockpit was enclosed, she knew that Reyes couldn’t see her. ...but he could see the fact that the tank’s front, right leg lifted and waved at him.

“Can you hear me, sir?” Eloisa nervously called out using the tank’s installed speaker system.

“Loud and clear,” Gabriel replied, actually waving back.

Though his voice was a little muffled, Eloisa could still understand Commander Reyes. And at least he’d had the good humor to wave.

“Going to move about a little,” Eloisa advised. She paused, then added on. “And don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”

“You better.”

Oddly enough, Commander Reyes didn’t move. Eloisa studied him for a moment, then could only guess that he was wanting to see if she could move the tank around him. It wouldn’t be impossible, but the fact that Eloisa could already feel her heart starting to beat in her throat didn’t help matters. She couldn’t get nervous now. There wasn’t a reason to.

...other than her commanding officer absolutely detested the vehicle she was piloting.

Sighing and giving a quick, forlorn look to where her collection of keychains should have been, Eloisa turned her attention back to the main screen in front of her. Commander Reyes was now tapping his foot, appearing impatient with the lack of tank movement. Frowning and feeling her stomach do a funny twist, Eloisa gripped the controls a little tighter and began to move the tank forward.

Feeling himself reflexively tense at the sight of the tank, however slowly, bearing down on him, Gabriel stood his ground. While he trusted Eloisa not to plow him over, there was still a part of him that believed that the tank would spring to life at any moment and try to crush him while simultaneously, somehow, devouring its unfortunate pilot. From behind him, Gabriel could hear Jesse shuffling back and forth nervously. The Blackwatch commander couldn’t really blame him.

“Easy, kid,” Gabriel called, never taking his eye off the tank. “It’s just a car, remember?”

“I ain’t ever seen a car like that. And I’d sure as hell get out of the way if it was comin’ at me.”

Before Gabriel could reply, a bone chilling, mechanical growl rumbled from the tank. It made both the Blackwatch commander and Jesse jump back, and Gabriel’s hand flew to his sidearm.

“Whoa, whoa! It’s okay, sir!” Eloisa called out from the tank. “It’s just...just a sound that the tank makes. At my command, I mean!”

“You mind telling us before you make that thing roar?” Gabriel yelled.

“Sorry, sir. The...noise doesn’t do anything.”

“Except bring back horrific memories,” Gabriel grumbled under his breath.

“Heh, c’mon, sir,” Jesse interjected quietly, though his voice still wavered a little. “You saw her. Eloisa was excited to drive that metal monstrosity since she heard it arrived. ‘Sides, you want her lookin’ bright and chipper for the demonstration, right?”

Sighing and looking back to the tank, Gabriel quirked an eyebrow.

“That all it can do?” he called to Eloisa.

“N-no, sir. There’s more.”

Now the tank took a few smooth strides forward before circling around Commander Reyes while carefully avoiding touching Jesse. The tank had to tilt at an odd angle, the legs creaking faintly as it went into an almost kneeling position. Continuing to tromp around the two Blackwatch members with notable care, the tank then rose up, walking over the two men with ease and without touching either of them.

“Everything running like it should be, rookie?” Gabriel asked, trying to keep his tone as amiable as he could muster. He still couldn’t help but grimace at the sight of the tank, but the Blackwatch commander just reminded himself of the young woman sitting in the cockpit.

“Seems so.”

“Good.” Gabriel motioned towards the exit. “Now get out of that thing before it eats you. They’ll finish getting your tank over to the demonstration bay.”

There was a short silence, then Eloisa giggled quietly.

“Okay, sir.”

The tank slowly lowered back into its curled up position, and the cockpit opened with a hiss. Clambering out, Eloisa slid off the tank and walked up to her commanding officer. She still had a worried expression on her face, and her stomach was still doing weak flip flops. Fortunately, Commander Reyes had a half-smile on his face as she approached him. As she neared, and much to her surprise, Gabriel put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close with a playful roughness.

“You know you’re going to have to do more than walk around in that thing for the demonstration, right?” he asked. Glancing up, Gabriel discretely motioned for Jesse to give him and Eloisa a bit of privacy. It was a cue that the younger man heeded without hesitation. Looking back to the young woman who now looked both worried and confused, Gabriel gave her a fainter, but more sincere, smile. “Didn’t mean to yell at you. That thing just...brings back bad memories.”

“Yeah. I...I guess it would.”

“But you’re right,” Gabriel continued, walking Eloisa towards the hangar exit. “It’s just a vehicle now. And I’d be lying if I said you weren’t a desperately needed addition to Blackwatch. So let me have my paranoid grumblings about that tank for about a week and then I’ll be singing your praises. Deal?”

“Deal,” Eloisa laughed. Despite herself, it felt oddly...comforting to be this close to Commander Reyes and talking to him like this. After a moment, she decided to test her luck a little. “Think I should make the tank roar at the audience?”

“While as hilarious as that would be, some of them might not find it so funny,” Gabriel commented with a smirk. “Besides, we have to use kid gloves when dealing with those Overwatch boy scouts. You make that thing roar at them and a couple are liable to go sprinting out of the room.”

“I know.” Eloisa gave Gabriel a small grin. “That’s why I suggested it.”

Pausing in momentary surprise, Gabriel looked down at Eloisa with a grin of his own.

“You are a bad girl, rookie,” he chuckled, tousling Eloisa’s hair. “You’re going to fit in just fine.”


End file.
